


WHOUFFLE WEEK 2020. Day Seven: Dancing / Flowers

by memelovescaps



Series: Whouffle Week 2020 [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kissing, POV Twelfth Doctor, Prompt Fic, Slow Dancing, Soft Twelfth Doctor, The Doctor (Doctor Who) in Love, The Doctor Plays the Guitar, Twelfth Doctor Era, whouffle week 2020, whouffleweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27768184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memelovescaps/pseuds/memelovescaps
Summary: Last day of the Whouffaldi Week 2020.Prompts for today: DANCING / FLOWERS
Relationships: The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Series: Whouffle Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023754
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23
Collections: Whouffle Week 2020





	WHOUFFLE WEEK 2020. Day Seven: Dancing / Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> And here we go, the last of the seven days of the Whouffle Week 2020!  
> It’s been so much fun writing for the daily prompts, and even greater to see all the new content produced for our little Whouffle/Whouffaldi corner.  
> So, for this one the prompts are:  
> DANCING / FLOWERS  
> When you read this, go to this link and imagine the Doctor in the TARDIS with his guitar, playing this song exactly as it is played here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK-1kcmWswU 
> 
> ENJOY!!

The TARDIS was humming pleasantly, its warm yellowish and blue lights giving off a sense of warmth and calm. The time machine was suspended in the vortex; after their latest adventure together Clara had declared she was going to take a long bath to get rid of the green goo covering her clothes. The Doctor had left her to it, wandering about in the console room in the meantime. 

The Doctor smiled to himself, thinking back to their day. He had been worried about Clara at one point when the natives of the planet they’d visited had thought she was some sort of exotic food, but she got them out of trouble in the last minute. That was becoming a regular occurrence, it was _his_ job to get them out of their scrapes but lately, Clara was behaving more and more like him, having brilliant ideas just as easily and as regularly as he did. 

He was often stunned by her strength, anger and bravery. He’d seen her at her worst, the memories of the first day together still stung in his heart, how she simply didn’t recognize him even though he was right in front of him. _Please, just see_ me he’d implored her. 

Now she did, even more than himself sometimes. It was her who brought him back from the depths of his own anger and hatred, who always wanted him to be the best version of himself. She’d been and still was his greatest mystery to solve, but right now when they were both safe and sound in the TARDIS, the Doctor felt more attuned to Clara than anyone and anything else. 

His legs took him from the console to the bottom of the stairs, where his guitar and amplifier were resting. His fingers itched to play and take his mind off things, this had been a close call, there were too many recently. Perhaps he ought to take Clara to a peaceful, uninhabited planet next. Rassilon knew they didn’t need any inhabitants to get themselves into trouble, but he thought they deserved a day of not running for their lives, just to relax. 

He took the guitar in his hands, putting the strap around his shoulder and taking the amplifier with one hand. He normally walked around the console with the guitar strapped on him as he played, but not today. He wanted to sit down, his eyes watching the everchanging lights of the TARDIS as he played. His eyes focused on the door of the corridor where he’d seen Clara disappear in search of the bathroom - if the TARDIS hadn’t moved it like last time -.

Slowly, as if someone else was taking control of his mind, his fingers started to play a song. He knew the notes and lyrics by heart now. As he played his mind took him to the first time he’d heard the song.

It was the last time he thought he would see Clara. That fateful afternoon they’d met in a café, the afternoon he’d lied and told her he’d found Gallifrey so that she would stay with Danny, unbeknownst to him that he was dead and Clara was alone. They’d been so stupidly blind, both of them lying to give each other a chance of happiness, not realizing that they were bound to each other. Their stories linked, their timestreams intertwined, their destinies joined. 

The Doctor remembered the feeling of Clara in his arms. She’d asked for a hug and he’d given it to her, still uncomfortable at such a display of affection and yet, his body had betrayed him. Tears had welled up in his eyes, tears he’d refused to let spill. And then, the song came to his ears.

_Every breath, every hour has come to this._

_One step closer..._

_I have died every day waiting for you,_

_darling don’t be afraid,_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I’ll love you for a thousand more..._

And those words got seared into his hearts. There, in that café, his mind turned everything off except the feeling of Clara against him, her arms around his neck, and him hiding his face from her. 

And the song. 

The song that was screaming for him to do something, anything, to keep her with him. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to. He awkwardly held her, not yet knowing how to give a proper hug, as he realized it would be the last time he would see her, the last time he’d be able to hold her. 

The pain was like a dagger in his hearts and he felt them bleed, drop by drop until he was dry. He hid his face from her and willed his eyes to hold back the tears, to not let them spill until he was alone with his misery. He couldn’t blame her, though, it was his own decision. He knew he wasn’t welcome in her life any longer so he put the pain, the song and the lyrics inside his hearts as he walked into the TARDIS and left, to soar the universe on his own. 

“I didn’t think you knew contemporary music, Doctor”

Clara’s voice took him out of his reverie. His mind had been elsewhere, his fingers playing the song absentmindedly, it was like second nature to him now. He looked up and smiled when his eyes focused on her.

She was clad in a simple pair of joggers and an oversized dark jumper with holes he could swear it was his, not that he would ever complain. Her hair was a bit damp from her recent bath and her cheeks a bit flushed, probably from having bathed at a temperature closer to the sun. She looked stunning, and the Doctor felt his throat go dry.

He looked down, trying to hide his smile from her and thanking all the deities in the world, including Santa, for bringing Clara back to him when he’d lost all hope. He wanted to tell her, to let her know just how much he lost his way without her, how his whole universe expanded and shimmered when she was near.

But he said nothing. Instead, he focused on the music. 

His fingers played the chords, his lips tensed into a thin line as he sang the lyrics in his mind.

_One step closer..._

He saw out of the corner of his eyes Clara walking towards him until she was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him. He could feel her eyes on him and playfully refused to return the gaze. However, those beautiful, big brown eyes were too much to resist, and he finally looked up to watch her. She was smiling wildly, so much that she had dimples on her cheeks, her eyes glassy and bright. His breath caught in his throat and tried to gulp.

“Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, miss Oswald?”

The words came out of his mouth without being able to stop them. For half a second he thought she’d be horrified and was ready to berate himself mentally when he realized he’d given voice to one of his deepest desires. He dared to look at her, almost afraid to see her reaction and let out a sigh of relief when he saw she was smiling. Her eyebrows raised in surprise but she seemed to recover quickly, and then she nodded.

“Of course, Doctor,” she said as she extended her hand.

He took the guitar off his shoulder and left it on the holder. Pressing a simple button on the amplifier, the TARDIS took control of it. Suddenly, his fingers were not playing the chords anymore but the song could be heard in the console, the music surrounding them as a soft warm blanket on a cold winter evening.

The Doctor took Clara’s still extended hand, his much larger one almost engulfing it, and let himself be taken to the centre of the console. He sincerely hoped he remembered how to dance, and for a second he got terrified of having forgotten the simplest thing about it when his mind went blank.

Clara was hugging him. She hadn’t caught his hand and placed her other hand on his waist, instead, she’d surrounded his midriff with her arms and held him close to her. He could feel her arms around him, he noticed his hearts beating faster as she rested her face against her chest, her hair giving off the scent of her shampoo, sweet and fresh. As his mind tried to catch up on the feelings of having Clara so close he felt her gently swaying them from side to side to the beat of the song, of his pick strumming the chords.

His arms moved of their own accord, his hands moving to rest on her back, gently pressing against her soft jumper. He took a deep breath and sighed, his eyes closing as he let his forehead rest against her head and his body be swayed by the movement. He didn’t try to take the lead, he was perfectly content letting his body follow the moves and go where Clara led him.

As his mind focused on the movements of their bodies and the melody of the song, all of a sudden he felt his chest constrict and a lump in his throat, and he held Clara tighter than ever before, hiding his face in her hair and taking a deep breath in. His mind took him to the moment he felt he was losing her, to what he thought would be the last time he would have her in his arms. He’d received a second chance, but the longer Clara travelled with him the more the Doctor realised her loss would be his demise. 

Clara seemed to sense his change of mood and held him tighter too, curling up against his chest as her arms tightened and she moved her hands to his shoulder blades, gently squeezing and bringing him even closer.

“I heard this at the café when we said goodbye” the Doctor rasped, his voice slightly shaky “I don’t want to say goodbye again, Clara, I... I can’t...”

“I know...” she answered in a whisper. He noticed one of her hands tangling in his curls at the back of his head, and he tried to focus on her ministrations, on the feeling of her fingers playing with each greying lock while she tried to soothe him “I know... me neither...”

She resumed their swaying and the Doctor kept his eyes closed, taking big gulps of air as he willed his body to calm his erratic breathing. Clara was still here, in his arms, safe from everyone that wanted to harm her. He focused on here and now, on counting her fast and strong heartbeats in her chest, on the way her warmth seemed to dispel every single wall he’d placed around himself. He’d changed so much since that day they said goodbye, the song was the same but everything else was not. Even his body seemed to have changed to accommodate Clara’s when she embraced him, a much more common occurrence now than before. 

Then, the lyrics began to travel to his mind in a soft, sweet voice. At first, he thought Clara was singing and he even held his breath for a few seconds, listening intently, until he realized she wasn’t singing out loud. The music was coming from her mind, and being so close to one another, her thoughts travelled directly to his mind.

_I will be brave,_

_I will not let anything take away_

_what’s standing in front of me._

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this..._

His breath hitched as he felt the truth of the words in his very soul, the promise Clara was making by standing with him. 

“Clara...”

He wanted to tell her to stop. He wanted to be strong enough to keep her away, keep her safe from all the monsters who wanted to harm her. He knew he’d be miserable without her, he’d seen the universe on his own and it was lifeless and colourless without Clara by his side. But this was much worse, knowing he was putting her in danger and yet she decided, every single day, to stay by his side.

A promise.

She slowly moved her face from its resting place against his chest and glanced up, a slight blush on her cheeks the only proof that she knew he’d heard her thoughts. He focused on her and blinked away tears he’d shed without even realizing. She squeezed him in her arms when she saw them, and he took solace and comfort from her closeness.

“You don’t have to worry about that, you old man. You’re stuck with me” she whispered, her voice lighthearted and playful. He saw right through her attempt at cheering him up.

“But Clara...” he tried, but she would have none of it.

“Listen, Doctor. It’s not worth worrying about it now” her voice was serious this time, and he listened intently “we went our separate ways once and it was hell, but it’s not going to happen again. I’m here because I want to be”

“You won’t always be here...” his eyes darted down towards her neck, focusing on the patterns of the jumper he recognized as his.

“Oh, but I will” she answered playfully. When his eyes shot back at her she wiggled her eyebrows and smiled mischievously “I’m your Impossible Girl, remember?”

The Doctor held her gaze and despite his fear, despite his refusal to stand down and let Clara die because of him, he chuckled, a grin slipping through to his lips. 

Oh, his Impossible Girl she was.

He looked at her eyes, still grinning, and saw that behind the fun and the banter she held the same fear he had voiced. And he nodded, silently accepting that they were two kindred spirits who needed each other.

“If anything happens to me, Doctor...” she trailed off when they’d sobered up. He nodded, encouraging her to continue “if anything happens, I’ll be waiting for you. Always.”

“For a thousand years?” 

As far as banter went it was far from his standard, but it made Clara smile and that was enough for him. 

“And a thousand more” she replied as she stood on her toes and placed the softest kiss on his lips.

At that precise moment, time seemed to have stopped. 

The Doctor distantly registered his hearts pounding in his chest, but his mind could only focus on how soft her lips were, how expertly they moved languidly against his, stealing his breath, licking, inviting. He would’ve thought he was dreaming it, if it wasn’t for the heat rising from his stomach to his entire body, curling his toes and unfurling all his senses, the taste of her nearly drowning him. 

He responded to the kiss, a tingling sensation spreading from his lips as he pulled her in, claiming her mouth, turning the chaste kiss into a passionate one. It was fire all around them as his tongue came out to play, submitting her, giving and demanding in equal parts. Clara’s mouth let a moan escape and he captured it, biting her lower lip to produce more of those delicious sounds. He knew he was undoing her when he felt her tugging at his hair in a desperate gesture, compelling him not to stop.

When they came out, both gasping for breath and with swollen lips, they could only smile. He dared to look at her, her cheeks flushed and her hair more dishevelled than before, but she looked ravishing.

With their walls finally crumbled at their feet and the masks off, the Doctor smiled, his heart swelling with love for the woman of his dreams. He leaned down and on impulse he kissed Clara’s nose, making her laugh, and he committed the sound to his memory. He offered his hand and Clara took it without a second thought, her warm smile and glistening eyes all he needed to go on as he led her towards the insides of the time machine.

The TARDIS hummed pleasantly, putting the lights on as they walked along the corridors towards the bedrooms, the anticipation building and the music never stopping. She slowly dimmed the lights and let her thief and the Doctor’s thief have their moment, knowing how desperately they needed each other and how they’d tried to avoid dealing with it or even accepting it. But now, it seemed, everything was looking up. She programmed the song to repeat itself for a bit longer than she intended and kept the humming at minimum. Lest she disturbed them.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that’s it! It’s been great fun to write seven fics for these prompts.  
> A huge thank you to all my friends at Clara’s Diner for coming up with this great idea and for creating such amazing new content every day. It’s a pleasure being part of the fandom with you!  
> And to all you readers, see you soon I hope. If you like, hit me up on twitter or tumblr @memelovescaps.  
> Stay safe!


End file.
